Perception of micro compact & compact handguns
By MARJ LAW
“This is so cool!” exclaims Ella. “I get to see four small guns in action, then shoot them myself!”
Ella has a Ruger Mark IV. She understands the rules of the Wakulla County Sheriff’s Office range, and has shot here a few times before. I am confident she will keep the muzzle of a gun pointing down range and will keep her finger off the trigger until she is ready to shoot. Of course, I’m confident that Joe and I are watching her as well.
“Those little guys are practically the same gun.” She’s looking at the Sig Sauer .380 P238 and the Sig 9mm P938 Scorpion. “And they’re so tiny! I know they’ll be super simple to shoot, because they are light and small. They’ll fit easily into my carry purse. Which one is better?”
She’s right. They are extremely similar when you’re just looking at them.
For instance, the .380 weighs just 15 ounces, while the 9mm weighs 16 ounces. Pretty close, huh?
The .380’s barrel is 2.7 inches, while the 9mm’s is 3 inches. While the .380 is 5.5 inches overall, the 9mm is a bit longer at 6 inches.
They are both 1.1 inches wide. They are also both 3.9 inches tall.
So, yes, I’d say they both will fit nicely into most carry purses, and if you plan to carry on your body, they’ll both fit in or outside the waistband.
Ella is a fairly new shooter. Her preconceived notion that because the size of the guns is so similar, that they will be also similar to shoot.
She holds the .380 and aims. Then she holds the 9mm and aims.
“They even feel the same in my hands!” she says happily. “Now, Marj. You shoot the .380. Then I’ll watch Joe shoot the 9mm.”
I’m shooting offhand. (That’s my left. I’m very right-handed.)
Since the .380 is mine, I know it has a light trigger pull and trigger travel is short. The recoil is easy, but you need to hold tightly. Short grips usually don’t allow you to hold on with all your fingers. You have more control when your pinky and ring fingers can fit on the grip. Fortunately, my fingers are small and I have no problem with the grip.
We are shooting 5 rounds with each gun. We are shooting at small 5.5 inch targets.
I grip and aim the .380. Five shots.
Well, that’s not so good. Only three of the rounds have hit the target. And they’re not close to the x-ring. However, if we’re looking at aiming for critical mass, staying on or close to a target this size isn’t too bad.
I’ve done much better. Sigh. Don’t we shoot better when no one is watching?
Next, Joe shoots the very similar 9mm P938 Scorpion.
Well, it’s surprisingly not so similar after all. Yes, he hits the target with all five rounds. However, the holes are scattered, and not near the x-ring. But hey, they’re on the target! That’s the bottom line.
“Your hands moved upwards quite a bit,” notices Ella. “Looks like that gun has a lot more kick than the .380.”
“Yes,” agrees Joe. “It has more recoil than the next gun I’m going to shoot. I prefer the Sig Sauer 365 X-Comp. The 365 is also a 9mm gun, but is compact rather than micro. The barrel is barely larger than the P938 that I just shot. It’s 3.1 inch versus the 3 inch Scorpion.
It’s more than a half inch longer overall, and weighs 21.5 ounces versus the Scorpion’s 16 ounces. The height on the 365 is a full 5.2 inches versus that Scorpion’s 3.9 inches. You’d have to decide whether you can or whether you want to fit this guy in a purse. However, you might not have a problem carrying it on your body.
While the other guns we shoot today are hammer guns, this 365 is striker-fired. No hammer. I don’t usually prefer striker-fired guns, but I find this one to be very accurate. Also, it carries 17 rounds in the magazine. And it has a flat trigger. I like a flat trigger.
He aims. Shoots.
Ah. All five rounds group tightly around the x-ring with one smack in the red bull’s-eye. Nice.
Next, I shoot the Smith & Wesson Equalizer. It’s also a compact 9mm handgun. It’s a bit more than a half ounce heavier than the 365 and has a barrel that is slightly more than a half an inch longer. Right out of the box, it comes with 10, 13 and 15-round magazines. You get an UpLula too!
Still shooting offhand, I plug all five rounds into the target. Ha! This time, I get a fairly close grouping with one in the x-ring.
“I’m not so sure I’d want to shoot that 9mm Scorpion,” Ella contemplates. “I thought it would be as easy to manage as the .380 238. They are so close in size and the grip feels the same, but the 9mm packs so much more kick. I don’t want that.
I’m looking for a defensive carry gun. After watching you guys, I’d consider the three other guns. If I decide to carry in my purse, it’s the .380: hands down.
For carry appendix style?
I can’t decide between the Sig 365 X-Comp and the S&W Equalizer.”
She takes her turn and shoots these two guns.
“Wow.” Ella’s impressed. “I like them both. Looking up pricing, I see that the S&W Equalizer with its 3 magazines and UpLula is about $200 less than the Sig 365 with 2 magazines.
I like $200 less.
If you’d asked me which gun to choose an hour ago, I’d have gone with the Sig 938 Scorpion because it’s more powerful than the .380. But it shoots a lot harder.
Since I’m looking for a defensive gun, I’ll choose the Equalizer. I’ll wear it instead of carrying it in my purse.
Size isn’t everything.”
Marj Law is the former director of Keep Wakulla County Beautiful who has become an avid shooter in retirement.